I'm not sticking up for the guy, I'm just saying that maybe he felt he fit better with New Jersey.

Lol, yes... I know EXACTLY what he's thinking .

The dude had an awesome deal sitting for him in LA, 10 years $100 million, and this was on a team that has young stars and a pretty good AHL system. He didn't take it, 'cause New Jersey offered him an extra $2 million. It's a 17 year contract in NJ, but he's getting pretty much all his cash in the first 10 years. No, I don't know exactly what he's thinking, but I have a pretty good idea that he was holding out to see who was going to give him the most cash...

Originally Posted by Bobba.Fatt

Ilya Kovalchuk is one of the more gifted offensive superstars in hockey today. He is also the stereotypical and prototypical one-sided, don't care about anything but money, lazy-ass russian. There have been many before him and there will be many after. I would not want him handcuffing my teams cap regardless of anything. He is a cancer and I hope he rots in that ghetto swamp for the next 17 years.

Well think about it... he was in New Jersey for a few months, so he was probably getting settled in to living there and used to the team. He's been on the East Coast for a majority of his career and he was stuck on a team that had never won a Cup and has had no signs of getting remotely close as of lately. The Devils are a solid team with a few Cups under their belt and loads of experience (compared to the Kings). Yea the Kings are good, but they're all the way on the West Coast and have never won a Cup and don't have as much experience. Playing in New Jersey after being in Atlanta for so long must have been a nice change of pace. Maybe he was worried about walking into another disappointment like Atlanta?

If you think about it, an extra 2 million really isn't that much, so maybe there are some other underlying factors to his choice? If the deal in Jersey was say like 5+ million more, then I'd definitely say his main reason was money. But 2 million really isn't THAT much more.

The Devils are a solid team with a few Cups under their belt and loads of experience (compared to the Kings). Yea the Kings are good, but they're all the way on the West Coast and have never won a Cup and don't have as much experience. Playing in New Jersey after being in Atlanta for so long must have been a nice change of pace. Maybe he was worried about walking into another disappointment like Atlanta?

Yes, there are more players on the Devils with more experience than the Kings, but in another season or 2, LA is going to regularly be in the top 3 in the west. There defense isn't bad, they have some talent on the forwards, and Quick is a solid goalie. Personally, I just think that Kovy would be better suited in the fresh, new, LA.

Originally Posted by Magnum Force

If you think about it, an extra 2 million really isn't that much, so maybe there are some other underlying factors to his choice? If the deal in Jersey was say like 5+ million more, then I'd definitely say his main reason was money. But 2 million really isn't THAT much more.

So, let me ask you. You have two employer's who both really want your services. One job is something you would absolutely love, and the other is something you don't think you would like too much, but it's gonna pay you $2 million more dollars. Which one you gonna take?

I understand that the NHL is a business, but these are all dudes that grew up playing the game they love, for free. I just don't have any respect for players who are out looking for the bigger paychecks.

So, let me ask you. You have two employer's who both really want your services. One job is something you would absolutely love, and the other is something you don't think you would like too much, but it's gonna pay you $2 million more dollars. Which one you gonna take?.

That's a completely different situation since they are two different jobs. And I always choose doing what I love over getting a fat paycheck... I went from being a business major at a school where huge companies hand-pick people right after graduation, to being a graphic design major (and the school only has about 30 people in that program and is very unknown) because I knew I wouldn't enjoy doing that type of work.

When you ask that question, you basically asked, "Would you prefer to do one thing for this price, or do something else for a different price?" Kovy would be playing hockey either way in LA or NJ... so that question really didn't make any sense.

And again, you're just looking at the two teams at hand. I pointed out the other possible circumstances that may have enticed him to stay with New Jersey.

When I heard about this trade yesterday, I just knew you wouldn't be happy about it. I'll be on that super pissed bandwagon if the Hawks can't get a deal done with Antti Niemi before the arbitration hearing on July 29th. Maybe it's just me, but you can't just let a guy like that just walk away from the team... especially after his post season "heroics".

The Blackhawks just cleared another $1 million from their roster by trading Marty Reasoner to Florida for center Jeff Taffe. Looks like the plot is beginning to thicken, as far as being able to keep Niemi on their roster is concerned.

The Blackhawks just cleared another $1 million from their roster by trading Marty Reasoner to Florida for center Jeff Taffe. Looks like the plot is beginning to thicken, as far as being able to keep Niemi on their roster is concerned.

That cap trouble is really hurting them. They're still over the cap, with only like 18 players signed correct? If they are able to trade Huet (highly unlikely and near impossible) or send him to the AHL, they should save a high amount of money.

Still pretty pissed about that Gagne trade....I haven't looked in depth into the numbers, but I think there's a chance they could have a Dman making 1mil+ being a healthy scratch/playing in the AHL. Offseason is still young though, and I still have my fingers crossed the Flyers can trade for a goalie better than Leighton. Or there's also trading some of the overstocked Dmen for some draft picks. That would save some cap space in order to sign a goalie, I.E. Marty Turco.

PCs are the epitome of capitalism: elitism, expensive, exclusive.
Wait, no that belongs to consoles. Ignorant people getting scammed into buying terrible devices that can't even play games in 1080p/60fps

That cap trouble is really hurting them. They're still over the cap, with only like 18 players signed correct? If they are able to trade Huet (highly unlikely and near impossible) or send him to the AHL, they should save a high amount of money.

The only player left unsigned from what I've heard last is Niemi. IMHO, if I were in their front office, the Huet contract would have been the first one I would look to shed, possibly seconds after Toews hoisted the Cup.

If the Avs' give up either Mules or Stewie for fucking Cogliano I will be SUPPER FUCKING PISSED and lose all hope for the 2010-2011 season. I really, really, hope Sherman doesn't have his head up his ass.